The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Interior issued a statement announcing that the three were convicted of homosexual acts, adding vaguely-worded charges of "luring children and harming others" without providing any further details. The trial proceedings of the three men remain shrouded in secrecy.

The execution of these three men is yet another gesture of defiance by the Saudi Arabian government of international standards which urge states not to impose the death penalty for offences with no lethal consequences.

Amnesty International fears that it may also be a sign of the Saudi Arabian government's determination to continue its appalling yearly rate of executions - at least 205 people have been executed since 2000, including people convicted of non-violent offences. Amnesty International does not know how many people are under sentence of death in Saudi Arabia as this is a secret kept by the government, but the figure could be hundreds.

Recommended Action:

Please send telegrams/telexes/faxes/express/airmail letters: - expressing concern that the three men named above may have been executed primarily because of their sexual orientation and seeking urgent clarification of the exact charges and evidence brought against them, together with information on their trial proceedings - seeking urgent clarification of the names of any prisoners under sentence of death due to their sexual orientation and calling for the commutation of their sentences - expressing dismay at the continued use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, and calling for a moratorium on executions as called for by the United Nations - urging that international standards for capital trials are strictly observed
Send appeals to:

King and Prime Minister, The Custodian of the Two Holy Shrines
His Majesty King Fahd bin 'Abdul 'Aziz Al-Saud
Office of H.M. The King
Royal Court, Riyadh
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Telegrams: King Fahd, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Salutation: Your Majesty.

Please note: Your letters should be formal, polite, typewritten, and preferably in English or Arabic. If you receive no reply after one month, you should write again. If there's still no reply after that, write a third time.